Apprentice
by 1004-Angel
Summary: Vlad Plasmius is in need of an Apprentice... and who better than Danny Phantom?
1. Chapter 1

**Yo.**

 **So I'm trying this out… I'm working on another story in a different fandom but I rewatched the Danny Phantom series recently and rekindled my obsession from when I was a kid. This story popped into my head after finding a particular piece of fan-art (which I will reference as soon as I find it again), and I wanted to go ahead and jot it down before I forgot.**

 **If you're interested in seeing this continued, leave a review. I can't guarantee when or if I'll update, but if the first chapter gets a good response, I'll do what I can to continue. So, please enjoy.**

Title: Apprentice  
Plot: Vlad Plasmius is in need of an apprentice, and who better than Danny Phantom?

.o0o.

Chapter 1 – Life

Vlad Plasmius lifted the welding mask from his face and grinned maniacally, running his fingers delicately over his latest invention. Thanks to technology acquired by Skulker, Technus, and even the ghost warden Walker, Vlad now held in his hand the device that would finally allow him to fulfill his dream…

Anyone who knew Vlad's dark side knew that his dream was world domination, to rule the universe as the one true master. But little did anyone know Vlad had acquired a new dream. Vlad may be half-ghost, but it didn't mean he was immortal… the evil Wisconsinite was growing older, and before his ghost half completely consumed his human half on his death bed, Vlad needed someone to carry on his legacy…

Thus far his attempts to acquire young Daniel as his perfect son had proven fruitless… Daniel's attachment to his idiot of a father was far too strong to break by any psychological means. Any attempt by Vlad to destroy Daniel's respect for his father had fallen short of successful, and the evil halfa was beginning to realize his abilities only go so far. It was, in his opinion, to move on to more… physical matters.

Vlad Plasmius put the device back on his worktable before removing the welding mask and floating toward his ghost portal, using his ghost energy to form a glowing pink rope in his hands. Raising it, he launched the rope into the ghost zone, the endless line of ecto-rope streaming from his hand until Vlad felt it tighten, and with a yank, the evil halfa pulled until from the ghost zone came a large six-armed ghost with his ecto-rope firmly lodged around one of its razor-sharp teeth.

The device on the table clattered as it activated, and suddenly launched itself through the air until it fastened itself around the captured ghost's neck. The creature immediately stopped struggling, not doubt trying to comprehend its new accessory.

Vlad smiled, his fangs glinting. "Perfect."

.o0o.

"Foley! Fenton!" Mr. Lancer growled, whacking his two charges on the head with his measuring stick. "My history lecture may be dull, but if you would refrain from napping in my class, I would be _most grateful."_

Danny Fenton rubbed his head where Mr. Lancer had smacked him, yawning deeply. Beside him Tucker Foley did the same, and the two friends exchanged glances. The majority of the previous night was spent ghost fighting thanks to a ghost that could spawn tiny versions of itself, wreaking havoc all over Amity Park. It was natural that the team would be exhausted, but it's not like they could tell Mr. Lancer that Danny Fenton was actually a ghost-fighting hero. Behind the boys, Sam Manson suppressed a yawn but managed to hold herself together until the end of class.

"Man," Tucker sighed, leaning against the wall as Danny rustled around his locker, packing up for the day. "I hope we never have to fight that replicating ghost again."

Sam joined them as Danny said, "No kidding… if I have to pull another all-nighter fighting that ghost I'm never going to have time to write this book report Lancer assigned us."

"Come on, Danny," Sam encouraged him. "You beat that ghost so far into the ghost zone I doubt it'll be coming back any time soon. Besides, the report isn't due for another week. That's plenty of time."

The trio of friends began walking toward the front of the school, ready to retire to their rooms for a good rest. "I dunno," Danny said, adjusting his backpack. "I feel like all these ghost attacks are getting more and more frequent lately."

"You're thinking about it too much," Tucker countered. "It's time to take some hard-earned rest. It's not like we'll get attacked by a ghost on the way home."

Right on cue, Danny felt a numbing sensation in the back of his throat, and a wisp of cold air escaped his lips, signaling the arrival of a ghost. Danny and Sam glared at Tucker for his spectacular timing, but they didn't have long before an ominous air surrounded Casper High.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker raced outside to a chaotic scene, students running in all directions as a massive six-armed ghost paced outside the front gate, its scaly blue skin oozing green ectoplasm. Each arm sported claws at least as tall as Danny, and definitely sharp enough to skewer him if he got too close. The ghost's large round head swiveled 180 degrees, its one red eye scanning the schoolyard as drool dripped from between its sharpened fangs. Around its neck was a silver band, like a collar, with blinking blue lights that made Danny instantly think of Walker.

"Guys," Danny said, and his friends leapt into action. The trio backed into a corner, Sam and Tucker blocking everyone's view as Danny crouched to the ground, shining silver rings appearing round his waist. In seconds, Danny Fenton was replaced with Danny Phantom. Turning intangible, Danny phased through the ground, reappearing seconds later directly below the ghost as he unleashed a blast of ecto energy from his palm that hit the creature directly in the jaw and sent it stumbling backward.

Danny could faintly hear the cheers of the student body as the ghostly hero appeared, but he needed to focus. "Hey, gruesome," he taunted, blasting it again and again with his ghost ray. "Let's send you back where you belong!"

The giant monster screamed, lashing out with one of its claws. Danny crashed into the ground with a grunt. He rolled away just before he was stepped on, pushing himself to one knee. A familiar numbing sensation built up in his core, and Danny let the energy flow until an icy beam exploded from his eyes, freezing the giant monster to the ground. Danny took advantage of his opponent's immobility and launched himself into the air, hands curled into a fist.

"Danny!" he heard Sam shout, and he looked to the side to see her throwing a Fenton Thermos into the air. He caught it with ease, just in time to sock a powerful punch right into the creature's head. The ghost collapsed onto its back, feet still rooted in place by the ice. Danny unscrewed the thermos and fired it, sucking the defeated ghost within.

"There," he said, twisting the cap back on and floating back to the ground. By now the schoolyard was clear of everyone, and Danny reverted back to his human form, shaking the thermos tiredly. Sam and Tucker joined him, and the three friends smiled at each other. _"Now_ can I go home and sleep?" the teen hero asked, weariness creeping back into his voice.

"Ow!" Tucker suddenly cried out, holding a hand to his head. "What was that?"

Sam kneeled and picked up the device that had just fallen from the sky. It was the metal band that had been around the giant ghost's neck, shrunken now to the size of a dog collar and the blue lights now faded to a dull gray. "I'm not sure," the goth girl said, turning the device over in her hands. "Why don't you scan it with your PDA and see if you can pick something up?"

"Can we do it while walking home?" Danny asked, already walking that way. "I don't think I can take any more ghost anomalies today."

"What I want to know is why it wasn't sucked into the Thermos," Tucker commented as they walked, trying to find a hole to plug his PDA cord into and failing.

"The Thermos only sucks in ghostly materials," Sam reasoned. "Which means it's probably not from the Ghost Zone."

"Guys, come on," Danny interrupted. "I'm too tired to deal with this right now." He pulled the device from Tucker's hand and stuffed it into his backpack. "Let's just get some well-deserved rest and worry about it tomorrow."

"But Danny, it could be important," Sam tried to reason with her friend, but he wouldn't have it. Danny split off from Sam and Tucker and walked across the street toward Fenton Works, leaving his friends staring worriedly after him. Danny knew he should be worried about it, but he was dead on his feet as it was and needed to go to bed.

Jazz Fenton was reclining on the couch with a book when Danny stepped through the door. She and Danny exchanged knowing glances before the little brother clambered upstairs and threw his backpack to the ground, collapsing onto his bed. Jazz had covered for him with the parents last night, so she knew what was up. Even if she was annoying sometimes, having an insider in the family to cover for him was incredibly useful.

Danny rolled over, staring unfocused at his space shuttle schematic poster on the wall. As his eyes drifted closed, the metal device in his backpack began to glow an ominous green.

.o0o.

The next day at school saw no ghost attacks, so the ghost-fighting trio could finally focus on their lessons. That didn't deter Dash and Kwon from wailing on the trio, though, and Danny found himself once again hanging by his boxers from the flagpole, left to his own devices while Sam was trying to figure out how to get Tucker out of his locker.

Danny knew that with his ability he could totally beat Dash into a pulp if he wanted to, for with great powers comes the great urge to whoop butt. But also with great powers comes secret identities, and Danny definitely couldn't risk his for the fear of being ripped apart molecule by molecule.

By the time Danny and Tucker were released from their respective positions, the three ghost-fighting friends hit up the Nasty Burger to let off steam. Sam contended herself with a tofu soymelt while the boys chowed down on mighty meaty combos.

"I'm sick of being wailed on," Tucker commented once he'd swallowed. "Can't you use your powers to beat Dash up?"

"And risk revealing his secret identity?" Sam interjected before Danny could. "Just know that you guys have the moral high ground."

"Sam's right, Tuck," Danny said. "I've learned my lesson the last couple times I tried using my powers to fight back. Remember when the Fright Knight got loose?"

Tucker shuddered at the memory of being stuck on a deserted island with no clothes and no technology. "Touché."

"Just tough it out and one day, karma will bite Dash in the butt." Sam grinned.

At that moment, a wisp of blue smoke escaped Danny's mouth just as he was about to take another large bite. With an audible sigh, Danny stood and looked out the window, trying to see which ghost had come back to settle the score. Seeing none, he scooped up his backpack. "Come on, guys," Danny said, walking toward the front entrance.

Sam grabbed Tucker by the back of his shirt and dragged him along before he could steal the rest of Danny's burger. They stood outside the fast food joint, looking for any sign of a ghost.

"Dude, there's nothing here."

"Thanks, for pointing that out," Danny muttered.

"That's weird," Sam murmured. "Has your ghost sense ever malfunctioned like that before?"

"No, never."

They waited a little longer before finally coming to the conclusion that, in fact, there were no ghosts. "Hey, mind flying me home?" Tucker asked, breaking the silence. "I told my parents I'd be back early tonight and I can't be late."

"Tucker, Danny isn't a taxi service," Sam protested, but Danny shrugged.

"It's cool, Sam." After moving to a secluded area, Danny raised his hands above his head, and the glowing blue rings that signaled his transformation appeared around his waist. In seconds, Danny Phantom was standing where Danny Fenton was only seconds before. Before he could take off, however, a loud rattling sound came from somewhere behind him, and he, Sam, and Tucker turned in confusion as Danny's backpack suddenly levitated into the air and began to glow a vibrant ghostly green.

"Uh, dude?" Tucker questioned. "Did your backpack eat some of the cafeteria's mystery meat?"

"As bad as that stuff is, I've never seen mystery meat do _that,"_ Danny said nervously, approaching with caution. "Get behind me, guys."

Sam and Tucker did as Danny said, stepping cautiously behind the ghost-powered teen. Danny reached out a hand, slowly reaching up and pulling the floating back towards him, unzipping it and pulling open the cloth. Almost immediately, something green and blue exploded from the depths, sending Danny stumbling backward. Sam and Tucker backed off instinctively, and Danny felt himself falling backward.

He steadied his fall by simply floating in the air, staring up at the glowing object that hovered just above his head. Without warning, it suddenly shot toward him. Danny rolled to the side, but the object changed directions sharply and took off after him again.

"Run!" Sam yelled, and Danny didn't need telling twice. The ghost boy was off like a rocket, launching himself into the air to avoid the object. Sam and Tucker watched anxiously as their friend ducked, dived, spun, blasted his ecto-ray, and did what he could to shake the mysterious glowing… _thing_.

Suddenly, the object put on an extra burst of speed, and the only view Sam and Tucker had from the ground was a flash of green-blue light, a scream, and only a brief flash of Danny's body falling from the sky before landing with a crash in the dumpsters behind the Nasty Burger.

Danny was slowly pulling himself out of the dumpster feet when Sam and Tucker ran toward him. "What the heck was that?" Tucker asked, voicing everyone's thoughts aloud.

"I don't know," Danny said, checking himself for free bits of garbage. Sam pulled a wrapper from his silvery hair. "But whatever it is, it's gone now."

"Wrong," Sam said suddenly, reaching for Danny. Her hands rested at the base of his throat, and though Danny didn't know what she was looking at, he suddenly grew very self-conscious. Tucker, too, was now staring at where Sam was touching, and Danny was ready to melt into a puddle.

"Nice bling," Tucker said, staring even harder.

"What the heck are you guys staring at?" Danny demanded.

Without answering, Sam took Danny by the shoulders and turned him around so he could see his reflection in the window embedded into the employee entrance of the fast food joint. Danny could now see a device had latched itself around his neck, the blue lights once again glowing disturbingly.

"This isn't good," was the first thing to come to his mind. "Isn't this the thing that was around the neck of the ghost I fought yesterday?"

"Come on," Sam said. "Let's get back to Fenton Works so we can figure this out."

"Right."

Danny stood still for a moment, before frowning and closing his eyes tightly. His fists curled, and Sam and Tucker exchanged glances.

"Dude, what's up?"

Danny looked up at his friends, eyebrows turned up worriedly as his eyes darted nervously between his two friends. "I can't change back."

"Say what now?"

Danny's voice took on a panicked tone. "I can't turn back into Danny Fenton."

.o0o.

 **So like I said, if you think it's worth continuing let me know. I'd love to get feedback. Have a good Thanksgiving!**

 **-1004-Angel**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I'm honestly surprised with the response I got back after Chapter 1… 25+ reviews! That's the most for a pilot chapter I think I've ever posted. Thanks guys! I didn't expect to update this soon, either. I'm just going to let you know right now that my plans for this will diverge majorly from the main plot of the actual show… I won't say exactly how. Also, I'm drawing a little from the Teen Titans two-part episode** _ **Apprentice**_ **as well, so if you see some similarities, that is why. But I assure you the story is of my own creation.**

 **I'm not one for long author's notes, so…**

 **(But I will say to that one guest reviewer, yes, I am aware that 1004 in Korean means "angel." I picked it up after watching Reply 1997 and listening to B.A.P. and thought it was super awesome. I don't speak Korean but I have some friends who are and they taught me a few words. :D)**

The Story So Far:  
Vlad has created a strange new device, that ends up in the possession of Danny Fenton. One day while at the Nasty Burger, Danny offers to fly Tucker home and turns into Danny Phantom, which seems to activate the device in Danny's backpack. The device secures itself around Danny's neck, and now he can't turn back into Danny Fenton!

Chapter 2

"Danny's going to be staying at my place tonight," Tucker said, not very convincingly. He kept his hands firmly behind his back as he found the hem of his shirt distracting enough to calm his nervous fingers. "We have a big project due and need to work on it."

Any sane parent could see right through Tucker Foley, the infamous bad liar (though in his defense he had become quite skilled as of late), but luckily, Maddie Fenton was out, and Jack Fenton, infamous in his own right for being a little thick-headed, didn't notice.

"Right-o!" he said, slapping a jolly hand on Tucker's shoulder. "Danny-boy is always working hard!" the large man wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm so proud."

Tucker let out a nervous laugh, casting his eyes up the stairs, where Danny (still in Phantom mode) and Sam were packing some of his things.

"Do you think I'll need this?" Danny asked, floating higher into the air to reach something off a high shelf.

"Danny, you're not running away," Sam chastised, returning through the door from the bathroom where she'd been grabbing his toothbrush. "You're just…"

"Running away," Danny interrupted dryly, settling back to the carpet again. "Sam, I can't change back. If I come home as Danny Phantom, my parents will shoot first and ask questions never."

Sam didn't have a response for that, and watched her friend worriedly as he stuffed a few of his favorite space magazines into a backpack. The Goth couldn't possibly empathize with Danny… while it was true her parents found it near impossible to accept her way of life, her home was still a place to go. Danny, on the other hand, didn't have anywhere to go if he couldn't return to human form. Sam finally stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, where she could feel a slight chill creep across her skin. She didn't know what to say to comfort Danny, but considered it a good sign when he didn't push her away.

The sound of Jack Fenton clambering up the stairs and Tucker's distinctly loud voice alerted the two that their time was up. Grabbing Sam into his arms bridal-style, Danny phased through the wall, backpack in hand, before turning invisible and flying in the opposite direction of his home, forcing himself not to look back.

Danny, Sam and Tucker regrouped in Tucker's attic, the window repaired since Wulf had broken it. Sam and Tucker watched in silence as Danny slowly moved through the room, setting up his sleeping bag and arranging what little else he had brought with him. At one point, Jazz called looking for her brother, and she, too, eventually joined the three friends in the attic.

"Could I take a look at that collar again?" Tucker asked, once Danny had phased back into the room with his sister, setting her down to the floor gently. "I want to see if I can detect something."

"Whatever," Danny surrendered, making himself comfortable on the floor. Tucker approached and cautiously reached out a hand to touch the metal band. "Anything to let me change back."

Sam filled in Jazz on the backstory as Tucker tapped away on his PDA. When Jazz finally understood, she looked at her brother with sympathetic eyes, and for once didn't try to psychoanalyze him.

"Have you been trying to change back at all?" Sam ventured cautiously, met only with a deadpan stare from the collared teen.

"What do you think?"

"We should figure out a plan of action," Jazz changed the subject. "Other than transforming, you still have all your other powers. Which means you can still do the ghost-fighting thing, right?" Her voice was as hopeful as always, and even Sam would admit that having the optimism in the room would be beneficial.

Danny seemed to brighten a little at that, but his shoulders slumped further. "And what am I supposed to do when a ghost isn't attacking?"

Tucker withdrew from his examination, concluding there was no actual way to remove the collar. "Sorry, dude," Tucker said apologetically, pressing a few buttons on his PDA. "I'm not picking up on any hackable wavelengths."

Danny tried not to let the news bum him out. "I have a feeling we'll need a more valid excuse for my absence… especially from school."

"And at home, too," Jazz added.

The four friends spitballed more ideas until the most ridiculous idea of all was rejected. Dying his silver hair black, reprogramming the Tuck-Bot 9000, and even blackmailing Amorpho were all eventually rejected. With each pass, Danny grew visibly darker, withdrawing into himself as he tended to do when everything seemed to be going against him. They only sat in silence, until Tucker's parents finally called for dinner. None of them had realized how late it had gotten.

"I'll bring you guys something," Tucker said quietly, and clunked down the stairs, pulling the trapdoor shut behind him and leaving Sam, Jazz, and Danny alone. Sam wasn't sure how to comfort her friend, only to be there when he asked.

"What am I going to do, Sam?" Danny asked, his voice soft. His gloved hand reached up and hooked itself around the collar, pulling dejectedly at it.

"I'm not going to lie to you and say that it will be okay," Sam said carefully, sliding closer to him. She could feel the air get slightly colder, as it usually did in Danny's ghostly presence. Jazz noted the atmosphere between the two friends and retreated to a corner, scribbling things into her ever-ready notepad. "But I do want you to know that Tucker and I won't stop until we've figured this out."

Danny lifted his head and smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks, Sam."

At that moment, a wisp of blue smoke escaped Danny's lips. Sam and Jazz stared at Danny, looking to him for his lead. He returned their gazes readily, before sighing and standing up straighter, light returning to his eyes. "Well, I still have my powers," he said matter-of-factly, his hands glowing with ghostly energy for emphasis. "Might as well keep using them."

With that, Danny phased through the roof and was gone. Seconds later, a commotion could be heard outside the window, and the familiar threat of hanging pelts on walls cued the ensuing ghostly battle.

"Do you _ever_ give up!?" Danny groaned, firing his ghost ray.

Skulker dodged it easily, an excited grin pulling across his mouth. "A hunter never gives up!" Rockets launched from their sockets in the robotic ghost's shoulders and sped in Danny's direction. The ghost boy just barely managed to dodge, losing his balance in the air and tumbling back toward the asphalt. He managed to catch himself just before becoming a Phantom-pancake, glaring up as Skulker circled above him like a vulture zoning in on a carcass in the desert.

"Danny!" Sam, Tucker, and Jazz ran up behind him, looking up at Skulker with concerned expressions.

"I can handle this, guys," Danny growled, before his ghost sense went off once again. Whipping around, he spotted Spectra's shape-shifting sidekick zoom past, a bag of apparently stolen goods in his hands. Danny didn't have long to think before he was suddenly blasted to the side as Skulker once again released his homing missiles. Destroying them quickly, Danny looked at his friends and sister. "Can't handle that. Can you…?"

They didn't need much encouragement. "You got it, little brother," Jazz said determinedly, pulling a Fenton Thermos from her backpack.

"We got your back, dude," Tucker said, and Sam nodded understandingly before taking off after the other two, following close on Bertrand's tail.

"Don't take your eyes of me, whelp!" Skulker demanded, coming to hover directly above his prey. "I want you to see me destroy you!"

"Dude, not cool," Danny muttered, crossing his hands over his chest. His mouth broke into a confident grin. "But I know what is!"

From Danny's eyes burst two beams of icy blue energy, freezing Skulker in midair with a surprised expression frozen literally to his face. The ghost zone's greatest hunter's body plummeted from the sky, leaving Danny to simply blast it with a ghost ray. The ghost's mechanical body exploded into thousands tiny flakes that frosted against the grass. Almost immediately, the ice began to glow as Skulker's ghostly energy began to piece itself back together again. Danny didn't give him time, quickly whipping out the Fenton Thermos and soaking up the residual energy inside.

Danny shook the thermos satisfyingly, but his victory was short lived.

A slow clap sounded behind him, and Danny turned to find Plasmius floating a few feet away, his gloved hands applauding in an almost mocking way. Danny's eyebrows furrowed… Plasmius's presence never meant anything good.

"What do you want, Plasmius?" Danny demanded.

The other ghost grinned wickedly and raised an eyebrow. Without a word, his form flickered and collapsed into a pile of reddish pink goop on the ground before fizzling away.

 _A duplicate,_ Danny realized, watching the last bits of ectoplasm dissolve into nothing. _Vlad. Why am I not surprised he might have something to do with this?_

Danny took off from the ground, speeding in the direction of the Masters Mansion.

.o0o.

It was almost too easy to find Bertrand.

Sam, Jazz, and Tucker quickly located Spectra's assistant raiding a drug store in the guise of an ectoplasm-green ninja, nun chucks and all. The people behind the counter cowered behind boxes, and other store customers were huddled against the wall, glowing green rope tied over their hands.

" _Freeze!"_ Jazz yelled without giving Sam and Tucker a chance to formulate a solid plan.

Tucker and Sam face-palmed silently before running to join Danny's sister. From his backpack, Tucker produced Fenton wrist rays, which he passed to his two female companions. Sam felt confidence seep into her body as she secured the device onto her wrist and pointed it at Bertrand. She was quite skilled in its use, and felt the most comfortable with the portable weapon.

Bertrand paused whatever he had been doing to turn and face the newcomers. Though his face was mostly covered in cloth, the edges of his eyes crinkled in a sinister smile. "Well look what the cat dragged in… Danny Phantom can't come to stop me so he sends his stupid little sidekicks to do the job for him!"

Sam's fist clenched. "Don't talk about Danny like that."

"You know he's just trying to get under your skin, don't let him," Tucker whispered.

"I know!" Sam angrily muttered back.

"Danny can't come right now," Jazz fired back, "because he's got bigger fish to fry. You're so weak that these stupid little sidekicks could take you out easy!"

"Uh, Jazz…?"

Bertrand didn't like the sound of that. With an angry growl, the ghost shape-shifted into a wolf, teeth bared and saliva dripping from between his lips. "I'm not weak!" the ghost shouted, launching himself at them, mouth agape.

Sam acted fast, firing her wrist ray. The blast hit Bertrand straight in the chest, sending the shape shifter crashing into a makeup display. The ghost was up again in a flash, whizzing by Sam to barrel into Tucker, who yelled out in surprise as he hit the ground, arms pinned to the floor on either side of his head. Bertrand's tail whipped around, almost tripping Jazz. Danny's sister stumbled, throwing out a hand to keep her footing. Sam grabbed Bertrand's tail as it whipped into her, holding on with both hands as tightly as she could as she slid a few feet across the linoleum floor against the force of the ghost's tail.

"Hurry up!" Sam yelled, and Jazz finally got her feet back under her. With aim that spoke to her improvement in the ghost-hunting field since she joined their team, Jazz fired the Fenton Thermos. Bertrand wailed as he was caught unawares, having been about to impale Tucker, his body slowly sucked inside the swirling vortex.

When the ghost had vanished, Tucker got unsteadily to his feet, wincing as he rubbed his wrists. "Man that hurt."

"Maybe we should go to the hospital," Sam teased, raising her eyebrow at her friend, whose dark skin paled a little at the mention of the _h-_ word.

"Come on, let's go check on Danny," Jazz suggested, running back toward the exit.

Sam went to follow, but noticed the bag Bertrand had been holding was still sitting on the floor by the checkout counter, looking for all the world like a normal sack of junk. But Sam felt nervous leaving ghostly items just lying around in a public convenience store, so she ran forward and scooped it up before following the rest of her team out the door and back down the street to where they had last seen Danny and Skulker.

"Danny!" Sam, Jazz, and Tucker called out, hands cupped around their mouths as they called for their friend. When he didn't appear, Tucker whipped out his phone and called the teen ghost fighter.

"Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system…"

"He's not picking up," Tucker reported, looking a little worried.

"I'm sure he's fine," Sam said, and Jazz agreed.

"Maybe he went back to Tucker's place," the sister suggested, and the three exchanged looks before heading back into the Foley residence.

Sam hefted Bertrand's bag on her shoulder, not knowing that its contents would alter their fates for years to come…

 **Bad ending, I know, but I needed to get this chapter out. Thanks again for the support everyone, and I'll see you again!**

 **1004-Angel**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks everyone for continuing to favorite and follow Apprentice. It truly means a lot, and I find motivation to write by reading your sweet reviews. You really have no idea how much it means to me.**

 **I'm heading back to college soon, so I will do my best to churn out chapters when I can. In the meantime, you can follow me on tumblr at** **the-noble-idiot** **for Danny Phantom, Miraculous Ladybug, K-pop, and other goodies.**

The Story So Far:  
The device around Danny's neck prevents him from returning to human form. Danny, Jazz, Tucker, and Sam struggle find out how to explain Danny Fenton's absence when they are interrupted by Skulker and Spectra's assistant, Bertrand. Danny fights off Skulker while Jazz, Tucker, and Sam chase after Bertrand. After defeating Skulker, Danny sees a clone of Vlad, and discovers Vlad might behind the collar, and takes off for the Masters Mansion without telling his friends. Meanwhile, Jazz, Tucker and Sam defeat Bertrand, and Sam takes Bertrand's bag of stolen items, and after returning, they can't find Danny anywhere.

Chapter 3

It was a short flight from Tucker's house to the large mansion where Vlad Masters lived. Danny had already checked city hall, but the mayor wasn't present, ushering Danny to explore the mansion that probably cost enough to pay for the entire Casper High student body's college and graduate school tuition and still have some left over. Since moving in and becoming mayor of Amity Park, his arch nemesis had made extra sure that his wealth did not unnoticed.

Danny phased through the walls, trying hard to remember where he'd been. The layout of this house was unlike Vlad's previous Packers-themed residence back in Wisconsin, and the ghost boy had never been in the giant mansion before. While the walls were still painted a ghastly green and gold and footballs stood on silver pedestals, the layout of the home was like a labyrinth, and Danny didn't have Aradne's String. He smiled to himself; Sam would be proud of him for remembering that. He passed invisibly through the library, the study, several bedrooms, the spotless kitchen, and even an entire room dedicated to Maddie Fenton (definitely an _ew_ ), but there was still no sign of Vlad.

Danny regained tangibility and landed with a soft thud on the polished tile floor of the main vestibule, staring at his feet with a questioning look. "Lab, or no lab?"

Deciding to go for it, Danny phased invisibly through the floor, finally emerging in an enormous high tech ghost lab that put his parents' to shame. _Lab,_ Danny decided, his eyes drawn immediately to the far side of the room, where the gaping doors of Vlad's ghost portal stood wide open, the swirling green depths of the Ghost Zone casting an eerie light across the tables of Bunsen burners, flasks with pulsating multi-colored liquids, and toolboxes to the tall bookshelf with strange titles Danny couldn't make out. In the center of the room was an examination table that Danny had absolutely no desire to go near. A worktable stood against the opposite wall, scattered with screwdrivers, scraps of metal, and other tools he often saw his parental units use when they invented things.

Danny, still invisible, drifted down to the worktable, trying to find evidence of Vlad's hand in the ghost boy's newest accessory. He tried to work fast, scrambling through loose sheets of paper and pieces of scrap metal. One paper in particular grabbed his attention, and he scooped it up just as he heard the portal begin to hum, a sign that something was approaching.

 _Hello there,_ Danny thought, flying up to get a bird's eye view from the ceiling as he stuffed the paper into a pocket. Only moments later saw Vlad Plasmius emerge from within the Ghost Zone, a calculating expression on his face. His usual cape fluttered around his white uniform, though it seemed dirty and slightly ripped in a few places. Danny's breathing slowed to a standstill as Vlad began to speak.

"Did you receive the list of items I require?"

Following Vlad came a ghost Danny had never seen before… a tall male ghost dressed sharply in a white shirt and dark brown vest, gun holsters strapped across his chest. Below his gold-inlaid belt buckle, there was only smoke where the ghost's legs would be. Adorning his head was a faded red bandanna, holding back his hair beneath a tall Stetson hat. _It's like Youngblood playing cowboy, but real cowboy,_ Danny thought to himself.

"Darn right I did," the ghost said, his voice echoing in the large underground room. "And as long as I get my reward, you get your gear."

"Don't worry," Vlad smiled, turning to face the unnamed cowboy ghost. "I promised you treasure and land, so treasure and land you shall have. As soon as all the pieces fall in to place."

The cowboy ghost tipped his hat. "I'll be back," he said, before fading back into the Ghost Zone.

Danny remained hidden by the ceiling, trying to work out what he'd heard. _What's he building this time? Knowing Plasmius, it can't be anything good._

Vlad, meanwhile, had turned away from the portal and had floated toward his workbench, pulling out trinkets from seemingly thin air and laying them gently on the table. Danny was about to float closer when his nemesis spoke again.

"Want to get a better look, Daniel?"

Danny's blood ran cold, colder than usual at least. How the heck did Vlad know he was there? Even another full ghost can't detect him when he was invisible. A part of Danny wanted to get out of there as fast as he could fly, but another part reasoned that running from Vlad was a bad idea. After wresting with himself for a few more seconds, Danny gave in and regained visibility, but continued to keep his distance. "What are you planning?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest and keeping a stern look on his face.

"Right to the point, are we?" Vlad mused, turning his head to look up at Phantom. His red eyes glowed ominously. "That's unusual. No witty banter?"

"I don't have time for that right now," Danny countered. "I'm here because –"

"You want to know about the device that's around your neck, and whether or not I'm behind it," Vlad interrupted coolly. "I'll save you the time, Daniel. Yes, it was me."

Danny blinked, not one hundred percent sure how to respond to his enemy's sudden straightforwardness. He regained his senses quickly though, and raced forward, grabbing Vlad by the front of his suit. Danny's eyes glowed an ominous green as he stared his enemy in the eyes. "Get it off. _Now._ Or else I'll –"

"Or you'll what, Daniel?" Vlad taunted, not bothering to remove the ghost boy's hands. "Fry me? Freeze me into a block of ice? I'm afraid that whatever you do to me, nothing's going to happen to that collar."

"What the heck did you do to me?"

"Oh, it's simply really." Vlad raised a hand and blasted Danny back with a ghost ray. Danny let out a yell as he crashed into the wall and slid down to the cold lab floor. "I just deconstructed the Spectral Energy Neutralizer device from when we first met, reversed its effects, and built it back into a more compatible and shall we say, _flexible_ form. All it does is prevent you from transforming back into Danny Fenton, leaving all your powers as Danny _Phantom_ intact."

Danny got to his feet, holding a hand to his aching shoulder. "You don't have anything to gain by doing this, Plasmius," he said.

"And that's where you're wrong," Vlad grinned. The evil halfa floated forward, putting his face directly in front of Danny's until the younger ghost could feel hot breath on his face. "You see, it's occurred to me that if I want to obtain you as a perfect son, no amount of cloning or subtle manipulating is going to bring you to me. So I've come to the conclusion that the only way to have you by my side is to _force you."_

Vlad pulled back and produced a small device from his belt. With the press of a button, a panel on the wall slid back to reveal three large screens. At the very top of each screen, a huge green cursor blinked ominously.

"What are you…?"

"I'll let you figure it out," Vlad smiled, turning his eyes to the screens. "Any moment now…"

.o0o.

Sam set Bertrand's bag on the floor in the attic, she, Jazz, and Tucker settling down once again. Tucker continuously called Danny's cellphone, growing increasingly more agitated as he was met time and again with voice mail.

"Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system. 'Danny Fenton' cannot come to the phone at this time. Please leave a message after the beep."

"Yo man, where are you? This is, like, my fourth message. Call me when you get this."

"Maybe he started fighting another ghost?" Jazz suggested.

"Or the Guys in White got to him?" Tucker added, staring worriedly down at his PDA screen.

"I don't think so," Sam reasoned, "Danny doesn't go down without a fight; Amity Park would be in ruins right now if something was going on."

"Then where is he?"

"Flew off on his own somewhere," Jazz deduced. "Though why he wouldn't call to tell us is beyond me."

"Can you track his GPS?" Sam asked.

Tucker shook his head. "Already tried, but either his phone is off or something is interfering with the signal."

As if on cue, a barely audible beep interrupted whatever suggestion Jazz was going to say next. She shushed her two companions, straining her ears to listen in the dim silence of the attic, the light slowly fading as the sun began to dip behind the horizon. Their heads swiveled like owls as they tried to place the sound of the noise, and would have passed it off as imaginary if all three hadn't heard it the second time.

Sam eventually located the source of the beep from the bag she had confiscated from their battle with Bertrand. Using caution, and ignoring paranoid whispers from Tucker, the goth slowly peeled back the cloth and exposed the strange metallic device underneath.

It was a black cylindrical device, probably as tall as her forearm and roughly twice as thick as the Fenton Thermos. The outside was completely smooth, like polished ebony, and neither Sam, Jazz, nor Tucker were able the find where the beeping was being emitted, there was no doubt that it was the source.

"What is it?" Jazz asked cautiously as Sam moved her fingers delicately over the device. "And why did the ghost want it?" Danny's sister scooted closer and tapped her finger delicately on the top of the black device.

"Probably for another of Spectra's schemes," Sam murmured.

Tucker reached out and poked it with his finger, his expression clearly displaying his distrust. "Careful, Sam," the techno geek warned. "You don't know that that thing is."

 _Click!_

"Uh oh."

The indention Sam's finger had made in the side of the small cylinder brought it to life, three panels suddenly sliding open from the middle and breaking the smooth surface. The beeping became noticeably louder and faster, and the three ghost hunters only had time to exchange frantic looks before a green gas was suddenly emitted from each panel and directly into their faces.

They began to cough wildly, swatting at the air to try and clear the gas. When the last of it dissipated, the panels in the black cylinder clicked back into place and the beeping died, casting them back into silence, quickly broken by Tucker.

"What the heck was that?"

Jazz shook her head, letting out another huge cough.

Sam eyed the device. "Whatever this thing was supposed to do… I'm not sure that was it. We should probably still go make sure we weren't contaminated with anything."

"Good idea," Jazz said, regaining control. The redheaded girl stood quickly and rewrapped the cylinder into the bag. "Let's head to Fenton Works. Not a word about this to Mom and Dad."

"Agreed."

.o0o.

True to Vlad's words, the screens suddenly flickered to life, and Danny let out an audible gasp. Atop each blank screen were the names _Samantha Manson, Tucker Foley, Jasmine Fenton_. The self-replicating humanoid lizard-like ghost that Danny had fought a couple days ago grinned wickedly. Millions of versions of it were displayed on the screens, racing through red tubes and snapping threateningly at what looked like flattened red bouncy balls. Danny was confused as to what it meant until Vlad waved the controller to get the teen's attention again.

"You see, Daniel, this is another clone failure. In my attempt to replicate my duplicating power, I created this, and I discovered something wonderful." Vlad produced a second controller, this one smaller and more compact with a simple but yet ominous red button. "My ghost's replicas are now embedded into your friends' bodies, and with the press of this button, I can order it to begin eating your friends from the inside out."

Danny was at a loss for words, not quite sure whether or not to believe the fruit loop. Danny wouldn't put it past him to actually try it, though. Still, "Y-you're lying," the ghost boy finally stuttered, doing his best to sound disbelieving.

"Am I?" Vlad raised an eyebrow, his thumb stroking the red button threateningly. "Obey me, Daniel, and you won't ever have to figure out if I'm lying or not. They don't appear on any ghost detection device. You might say it's not even a ghost at all. There is no way to convince anyone that they exist. The only evidence is here. To save them, all you have to do is renounce your idiot father and swear to never speak to your family and friends again, and I will let them live."

Danny's mind was torn. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't prove Vlad was lying, but he also couldn't prove he was telling the truth either. The screens, with his friends and sister's names displayed over them, seemed to taunt him, the ghost seeming to laugh in his face. Danny closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to focus, but silent laughter filled his mind, imagination running wild as horrifying thoughts filled his head.

He imagined in his mind's eye his friends and sister writhing on the ground as ghosts literally ate them apart from the inside. Sam's pleading eyes boring into him, one hand reaching out towards him. _"Help… me…"_ He saw Tucker watching as his own hand dissolved into ectoplasm, the most terrifying expression Danny had ever seen as he let a scream escape him. Jazz, pleading, tears in her eyes and already fading…

Danny shook his head.

"Time's up, Daniel," He heard Vlad voice somewhere in the sounds of screaming. "What do you say?"

Danny grit his teeth, his tense muscles relaxing as he finally gave way to the inevitable. "Fine. I'll do whatever you say."

He hated Vlad's evil laugh. It filled him with anger and frustration, how it echoed off the walls of the underground lab and pierced his ears. And worse, it made Danny hate himself. Hate that he couldn't protect his friends and family, that he couldn't protect himself.

"Look up at me, son."

Danny hated the way that word sounded on Vlad's tongue. Like acid, burning his ears because Danny knew now that the word applied to him. But the ghost boy looked up obediently, toxic green eyes meeting blood red ones.

"I want to hear you say it." Vlad's expression was dark satisfaction at finally achieving what he had always wanted. The worst grin the halfa had seen yet on his nemesis – mentor's – face simultaneously taunted him, insulted him, and yet at the same time it was a smile that proud fathers gave their sons. Danny's stomach felt sick.

"I – I renounce my fa –" A stern look from Vlad. "My _idiot_ father Jack Fenton." The words stung, and Danny sent a silent apology to the large orange jump suited man, probably in the Fenton Lab and none the wiser to his son's betrayal. "And I vow…" The smiling faces of his parents and sister flashed before his eyes, waving him over to the dinner table where the turkey had come to life. Sam and Tucker smiled and laughed at the lunch table as Dash tripped and blamed it on Danny, who was sitting at least ten feet away and had yet fired a stealthy beam of ice directly into the unknowing bully's path.

Happy memories of a life now gone played on fast forward in Danny's mind. But he would have to reminisce later. Danny glared up at the man he was now to call "Father," a burning and defiant determination rising inside of him. He would find out how to save his friends. He would find out how to remove this insufferable collar that kept him tethered like a beast. And he would find out how to defeat Vlad, once and for all.

"I vow never to speak to my friends and family again."

Vlad smiled. "Welcome to the family… _Danny Phantom."_

.o0o.

 **Oooooooh shit. I built myself a fortress, and I'm hiding behind it. Take cover guys, shit's gonna hit the fan.**

 **See you soon! And now that the review reply bug is fixed, I'll be replying to your lovely reviews, so hit me up with questions you may have, and I'll do my best to answer them without giving anything away.**

 **I hope ya'll are having a fantastic New Year, and good luck to those heading back to school!**

 **Cheers, 1004-Angel**


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